The Refugees

Kachin refugees without aid from the UN

The renewed Burmese army offensive has also produced up to 75,000 refugees, or more accurately “internally displaced peoples” (IDPs). These people are still in Burma because the Chinese authorities will not allow most to cross into China.

The IDP camps inside the KIO area have most of the refugees and get basically no support from the UN as the Burmese government refuses to allow humanitarian aid. This article in the DVB gives good details and context. Slide show of the current IDPs

In addition to the current refugee situation there are refugees from Kachin in many parts of the globe – Thailand, Malaysia, US, Japan, UK to name a few. They all have different reasons for leaving, such as discrimination, fear of unwarranted arrest, escape from violence, political freedoms and more. Below is a slideshow of the refugees in Japan.